The AIBC’s Fall Professional Development Series is back! Beginning on October 22, 2025, the online series will explore a variety of architectural topics, including standardized designs and components, the shade impacts of architectural projects (shadow studies), and the role of Indigenous values in design process.
Registration for all three sessions is now open. Subsidized pricing is available for Intern Architects AIBC and Retired Architects AIBC – to receive the pricing code, please email professionaldevelopment@aibc.ca prior to registering.
A summary of each session can be found below. Additional information about the sessions, including speaker bios, can be found on the PD Opportunities webpage.
Session 1 | Shade Seekers: Computational and Experimental Fascinations with Shadows, Heat, Trees, and Humans
Over the years, the work of Dr. Yuhao Lu and Dr. Justin McCarty has gravitated towards the study of urban trees and how they impact various aspects of human-urban interaction. This presentation will review their initial work at UBC SALA on typifying the urban form of three cities in B.C. and examining simulations on solar irradiance in Vancouver to support urban greening. Then, they will share how Yuhao’s current research on urban forestry, remote sensing, and landscape planning complements Justin’s work on photovoltaics, waste heat, and building facades to better understand the impact of shading conditions, and the urban and architectural circumstances that create that shade. Participants will learn the importance of considering shade impacts in their design inquiries and practice.
Date & Time: Wednesday, October 22 from 12–1 p.m.
Location: Online via Zoom
Cost: $50 (Architect AIBC & Architectural Technologist AIBC); $40 (Intern Architect AIBC & Retired Architect AIBC)
Learning Units (LUs): 1 Core
Registration: Register by 12 p.m. on Monday, October 20, 2025
Presenters: Yuhao Lu Ph. D and Justin McCarty M.Arch, Ph. D
Session 2 | A Camel is a Horse Designed by a Committee: The Case for Open Source Architecture
What is meant by the phrase “a camel is a horse designed by a committee”? Is this true? Or is a camel really just a creature of an entirely other nature – an expression of function over form that evolved from a different set of circumstances?
This session will present a rationale for open source architecture; explore notions of a democratic design process; review examples of participatory design in architecture; and the manner in which standardization for off-site manufacturing can inform architectural design. Lastly, the session will illustrate the application of these ideas/principles through a review of the Standardized Housing Designs Catalogue published by the British Columbia Ministry of Housing in fall 2024, and discuss whether the project has had any identifiable impact on the housing crisis in British Columbia over the past year.
Date & Time: Wednesday, November 5 from 12–1 p.m.
Location: Online via Zoom
Cost: $50 (Architect AIBC & Architectural Technologist AIBC); $40 (Intern Architect AIBC & Retired Architect AIBC)
Learning Units (LUs): 1 Core
Registration: Register by 12 p.m. on Monday, November 3, 2025
Presenters: Michael Leckie Architect AIBC
Session 3 | Toward a Relationship-Based Approach to Design in Indigenous Communities
This session is eligible for credit towards the AIBC’s Indigenous Peoples Learning requirement.
Have you ever wondered how community-led, emergent process happens? In an Indigenous context, how a project is realized is just as important, if not more important, than the final product. This session will explore how community vision and values translate into design in our practices. Scott Kemp will provide insights from the perspective of the Architect, and Alanna Quock will share the perspective of an Indigenous process designer, facilitator, and owner’s representative. Alanna will also share how values are carried forward into every decision through project-specific principles. The principles act as anchors—holding space for culture and community voice, while also providing practical direction for the consultant and construction teams. They are the connective tissue between vision and implementation. Just as each person in the community brings a unique gift to the project, so too does each member of the technical team. A central part of this conversation is how to recognize those gifts – knowing when to step forward, when to step back, and how to create conditions for buildings that dismantle injustice and nurture thriving communities.
Date & Time: Friday, November 14 from 12 – 1 p.m.
Location: Online via Zoom
Cost: $35 (AIBC-subsidized pricing for all attendees)
Learning Units (LUs): 1 Core
Registration: Register by 12 p.m. on Wednesday, November 12, 2025
Presenter: Alanna Quock Intern Architect AIBC and Scott Kemp Architect AIBC